Automated Banking Machine and Monitoring Method

1. A method comprising: (a) operating an automated banking machine operable to carry out financial transactions responsive at least in part to data read from data bearing records, to receive from a user of the machine, a financial check needing a legally binding endorsement signature from the user in order to be acceptable to the machine for purposes of carrying out a transaction, wherein the machine includes at least one data reader, wherein the at least one data reader operable to read data from data bearing records, wherein the at least one data reader operable to read user data usable to identify a financial account; (b) operating the machine to receive at least one user input from the user, wherein the at least one user input indicates user agreement to have the machine use at least one visible feature of the user as a legally binding electronic signature of the user for purposes of endorsing the check; (c) operating at least one device of the machine to obtain the at least one visible feature of the user, wherein the at least one visible feature is unique to the user; and (d) subsequent to (a)-(c), operating the machine to cause the check received in (a) to be correlated with the at least one visible feature obtained in (c), wherein the at least one visible feature is a legally binding electronic signature of the user for purposes of endorsing the check for the transaction, wherein the legally binding electronic signature constitutes a legally binding endorsement signature from the user for the check, wherein the legally binding endorsement signature allows the check to be acceptable to the machine for purposes of carrying out the transaction.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the machine is part of a banking system, wherein the machine includes a cash dispenser, wherein the at least one data reader includes both a card reader and a biometric reader, and further comprising: (e) operating the card reader to read card data; (f) operating the biometric reader to read biometric data; and (g) authorizing the user to request a check cashing transaction involving the check, responsive at least in part to both computer-determined correspondence between the card data read in (e) and stored card information, and computer-determined correspondence between the biometric data read in (f) and stored biometric information; and (h) operating the cash dispenser to dispense a value of cash corresponding to an amount of the check; wherein the machine is operable to cause a financial account involved in the check cashing transaction to be assessed a monetary value associated with the value of cash dispensed in (h).

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the at least one visible feature includes at least one facial image of the user, wherein the at least one device includes at least one camera, wherein (c) includes operating the at least one camera to capture at least one facial image of the user, wherein (d) includes operating the machine to correlate the check received in (a) with the at least one facial image obtained in (c).

4. The method according to claim 1 and further comprising (e) operating the machine to obtain check image data corresponding to a visual image of at least a portion of the check; wherein in (d) the check image data is correlated with the at least one facial image in at least one data store.

5. A method comprising: (a) operating an automated banking machine to inform a user of the machine that a unique visual feature of the user can be used by the machine as an electronic signature of the user for purposes of providing a legally binding signature to a document which is absent at least one legally binding signature of the user needed to achieve a legal effect; (b) subsequent to (a), operating the machine to receive from the user, user input indicative of an agreement to have the unique visual feature of the user be a legally binding electronic signature of the user for the document; (c) operating the machine to obtain the unique visual feature; and (d) responsive at least in part to (b), operating the machine to cause the unique visual feature obtained in (c) to be the legally binding electronic signature for the document in achieving the legal effect.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the unique visual feature includes a visual representation of at least a portion of the user, wherein (c) includes operating the machine to obtain the visual representation, wherein (d) includes operating the machine to cause the visual representation obtained in (c) to be the legally binding electronic signature for the document.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the document comprises a financial check, wherein the at least one device includes at least one camera, wherein the visual representation includes a facial image of the user, wherein (b) includes operating the machine to receive user permission for the facial image to be used as a legally binding signature for purposes of endorsing the document, wherein (c) includes operating the at least one camera to obtain the facial image, wherein (d) includes operating the machine to cause the check to be endorsed using the facial image obtained in (c) as the legally binding signature in lieu of a handwritten endorsing signature.

8. The method according to claim 5 and further comprising (e) operating the machine to produce document image data corresponding to a visual image of at least a portion of the document; wherein (d) includes operating the machine to cause the unique visual feature obtained in (c) and the document image data produced in (e) to be correlated in at least one data store.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein (c) includes operating the machine to obtain user image data corresponding to at least a portion of the user, wherein the user image data includes a visual representation of the unique visual feature, wherein (d) includes storing the user image data as a legally binding signature of the user for the document in correlated relation with the document image data in at least one data store.

10. A method of operating an automated machine to allow a user of the machine to apply a legally binding user signature to a document that needs the legally binding user signature to achieve a legal effect, comprising: (a) operating the machine to obtain user data that is usable to uniquely identify the user, wherein the user data comprises information about at least one physical body feature that is unique to the user; and (b) operating the machine to cause the user data obtained in (a) to be correlated with the document, wherein the correlation causes a legally binding electronic signature of the user to be applied to the document, wherein the legally binding electronic signature of the user allows the document to achieve the legal effect.

11. The method according to claim 10 and further comprising: (c) prior to (b), operating the machine to receive from the user, authorization to use the user data to correlate the document with the legally binding electronic signature.

12. The method according to claim 11 and further comprising: (d) operating the machine to obtain document data that is usable to identify the document; wherein (b) includes operating the machine to cause the user data obtained in (a) to be correlated with the document data obtained in (d).

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the document comprises a financial check, and further comprising: (e) prior to (d), operating the machine to receive the check from the user, wherein (d) includes operating the machine to obtain the document data from the check received in (e).

14. The method according to claim 11 wherein the document comprises a financial check, wherein (c) includes operating the machine to receive from the user, authorization to use the user data to impart the legally binding electronic signature of the user to the check in lieu of a manually handwritten signature of the user, wherein the correlation in (b) imparts a legally binding endorsement signature of the user to the check.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein the check has a cash value, wherein the machine includes a cash dispenser operable to dispense cash to authorized users of the machine, wherein the legally binding endorsement signature allows the check to be used by the machine to carry out a check cashing transaction, and further comprising: (d) operating the cash dispenser to dispense an amount of cash associated with the cash value.

16. The method according to claim 14 wherein the check has a cash value, wherein the legally binding endorsement signature allows the check to be used by the machine to carry out a check deposit transaction, and further comprising: (d) operating the machine to cause a financial account associated with the user to be credited a monetary amount corresponding to the cash value.

17. The method according to claim 10 wherein (a) includes operating the machine to obtain at least one user image of at least a portion of the user, wherein the user data comprises user image data corresponding to the at least one user image obtained in (a), wherein (b) includes operating the machine to cause the user image data to be the legally binding electronic signature for the document.

18. The method according to claim 17 wherein the document comprises a financial check, and further comprising: (c) operating the machine to obtain check image data corresponding to at least one check image of at least a portion of the check; wherein (b) includes operating the machine to cause the user image data to be correlated with the check image data.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein (a) includes operating at least one imager of the machine to capture a facial image of the user, wherein the user data comprises user facial image data corresponding to the facial image captured in (a), wherein (c) includes operating the at least one imager to capture the at least one check image, wherein (b) includes operating the machine to cause the user facial image data to be correlated with the check image data.

20. The method according to claim 10 wherein the user data comprises biometric information unique to the user, wherein (a) includes operating a biometric reader of the machine to obtain biometric data from the user, wherein the biometric information corresponds to the biometric data obtained in (a), wherein (b) includes operating the machine to cause the biometric information to be correlated with the document, wherein the correlation causes the biometric information to constitute the legally binding electronic signature of the user for the document.

21. The method according to claim 10 wherein the machine includes a machine camera, wherein (a) includes operating the machine camera to capture a facial image of the user, wherein (b) includes operating the machine to cause the facial image to be the legally binding electronic signature for the document.

22. The method according to claim 21 wherein the user is a customer of a monitoring service, wherein the machine is located in an interior area of a building facility, wherein the building facility includes at least one interior camera, and further comprising prior to (a): (c) operating at least one processor to cause information to be received at a monitoring facility associated with the monitoring service, responsive at least in part to input provided to a mobile communication device by the customer deciding whether to use the machine, wherein the monitoring facility includes at least one display that is in operative connection with the at least one interior camera, wherein the at least one processor is in operative connection with at least one data store that associates the building facility with the customer; (d) operating the at least one processor to determine using data from the at least one data store, that information received in (c) is associated with the customer; (e) operating the at least one processor responsive at least in part to the determination in (d), to initiate a pre-entry security check of the interior area, wherein the initiation causes visual images to be output through the at least one display, wherein the visual images include at least one interior image captured by the at least one interior camera, wherein the at least one interior image corresponds to a real time field of view of the interior area; and (f) subsequent to (e), operating the at least one processor to cause at least one communication to be sent to the mobile communication device, wherein the at least one communication includes a message associated with a result of the pre-entry security check, wherein the message is useful to the customer in deciding whether to enter the building facility, wherein the message indicates that the interior area is safe to enter.

23. The method according to claim 22 and further comprising: (g) prior to (f), operating the machine camera to capture at least one interior field of view image; wherein in (e) the visual images include the at least one interior field of view image captured in (g).